Python Language Founder Steps Down (zdnet.com)

After almost 30 years of overseeing the development of the world’s most popular language, Python, its founder and “Benevolent Dictator For Life” (BDFL), Guido van Rossum, has decided to remove himself entirely from the decision process. From a report: Van Rossum isn’t leaving Python entirely. He said, “I’ll still be there for a while as an ordinary core dev, and I’ll still be available to mentor people — possibly more available.” It’s clear from van Rossum’s note he’s sick and tired of running the organization. He wrote, “I don’t ever want to have to fight so hard for a PEP (Python Enhancement Proposals) [PEP 572 Assignment Expressions] and find that so many people despise my decisions.” In addition, van Rossum hints he’s not been well. “I’m not getting younger… (I’ll spare you the list of medical issues.)” So, “I’m basically giving myself a permanent vacation from being BDFL, and you all will be on your own.” From the email: I am not going to appoint a successor. So what are you all going to do? Create a democracy? Anarchy? A dictatorship? A federation? I’m not worried about the day to day decisions in the issue tracker or on GitHub. Very rarely I get asked for an opinion, and usually it’s not actually important. So this can just be dealt with as it has always been. At Slashdot, we had the privilege of interviewing Guido van Rossum, a Computer History Museum honoree, in 2013.